


Our Soul

by Angelicat2



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Blood and Injury, Cuddling & Snuggling, Panic Attacks, Past Child Abuse, Post-Kerberos Mission, Protective Keith (Voltron), Protective Shiro (Voltron), Scared Keith (Voltron), Scars, Season/Series 01, Sharing a Body, Skin Hunger, Soul Bond, chronic injury
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-07
Updated: 2019-11-07
Packaged: 2021-01-25 02:10:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,832
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21348541
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Angelicat2/pseuds/Angelicat2
Summary: For Sheith Soulmate Week...Keith and Shiro's soulmate bond has always been...intense. They could do things others couldn't, like see through each other's eyes and communicate as if they were right next to each other, even from miles or light-years away. At times, they can even take over each other's body, shielding each other from their pains and troubles.Everything changes when Shiro gets captured by the Galra, leaving the two to figure out how to manage their bond while fighting a intergalatic war.
Relationships: Keith & Shiro (Voltron), Keith/Shiro (Voltron)
Comments: 5
Kudos: 60





	Our Soul

**Author's Note:**

> Dang, I have some plans for this so...enjoy? I wrote this awhile ago (not joking, I just have Sheith fics lying around that I wrote two or so years ago and never finished, this being one) and it doesn't strictly follow s7 preKerbs canon but it's mostly implied. I figured it was perfect to post for Sheith Soulmate Week as I do love soulmate Sheith so so so much!!!
> 
> Onward with the reading ^.^

Keith awoke to pain.

Something was wrong.

A spike of pain slammed the back of his head like he'd been hit with something. A rock or something.

_A gun handle,_ Keith's mind whispered as his vision fell dark.

.....

What could have been hours or seconds later, Keith woke up face down on his bed. The pounding of his head reminded him that he hadn't made it up. He hadn't been making up Shiro being hurt.

He bolted out of bed. Rushing out of the room, he ignored his roommate as he ran. He ignored the strange and disapproving looks he received as he rushed down to Iverson's office in his black shirt and black pants, socks not even on. Banging the door, he ignored protocol as he ran into the room. Luckily, not that Keith would have cared, only Iverson and Professor Montgomery were inside.

"What is the meaning of this, Cadet Kogane?" The darker-skinned man demanded as Montgomery stared, "I am in the middle of s-"

"Shiro's in trouble," Keith huffed as he saw their shocked expressions, "The crew...I think they got attacked."

"What proof do you have?"

Keith tried to keep his patience as he explained. He didn't tell them about the clouded dream he'd had about the crew, Shiro's crew, before he'd awoken to his head hurting. Didn't say how a beam of purple light had sucked up the three as an alien ship attacked. Didn't say how he woke up seeing from Shiro's eyes, a purple alien talking to someone about the crew and Shiro. He didn't mention it because no one had ever had vivid dreams from their soulmate nor had anyone been recorded to see through their soulmate's eyes. They didn't think the bond could survive past the solar edge beyond Kerberos.

And Shiro was currently way beyond that.

"Are you sure?" The other asked as she sent him a curious yet understanding look, "You could have bumped your head against your bed or perhaps Captain Shirogane tapped his own."

Keith nearly scoffed. Of course, blame Shiro when he was the one who needed help. The ache echoed against his skull, a low throb beating against his heartbeat. Keith glanced at them, but already knew they were going to do nothing about it. He growled as he left, a quick glare at both inside, and headed back for his room.

"Hey, man," his roommate, who Keith had never paid any attention to, started to talk but Keith ignored him as he got dressed.

.....

It was exactly a week later when the first real proof that Shiro was in real trouble came to be. Keith's nights were now constantly littered with nightmares. Glowing yellow eyes stared at him in the dark. Blood flowed from a few wounds on his back or sides or legs or arms. Purple lights glared into his retinas until he saw that when he closed his eyes. The loud cheers that sounded anything but supportive and friendly ran through his ears.

No, it didn't hit until he was awake. Specifically, in the middle of a sims flight. One moment he had been with his crew, about to tell them something, and the next, he was in a gladiator ring. A large beast's clawed arm slashed down at his head. Throwing himself to the side, he barely avoided the monster. Jumping to his feet, he slammed his sword into the thing's side. It let out a screech as blood splattered out of its body. He fell back as the beast slashed. He knew that there wasn't enough time to get out of the way, so he braced himself. Agony laced his nose as he closed his eyes. The claw dug into the flesh on his nose, leaving a trail of torn skin behind in a line from cheek to cheek. Tears burned his eyes as he rolled away. He couldn't die here. Not when he had to get back to him. Jumping to his feet as his vision blurred and dark hair weaved its way over his eyes a little, he circled the beast who was limping. He ducked as it tried to hit him again. Feeling the blood pool down his face, already feeling faint, he slammed his sword into vulnerable grey flesh. Moving out of the way, he saw the same claws coming to hit him again. His body locked up, but his mind screamed at him to move, do something.

This is where things got weird. Taking control, Keith ducked just in time. Rushing to the left, he reached the beast's blind spot. Letting out a deep growl from his larger body, he kicked off the pillar, twisted sideways from ten feet in the air, and chucked his sword. The blade span so quickly that the handle was unseeable. The blade buried its sharp point into the beast's neck, nearly cutting the head from the rest of it as Keith landed unsteadily to his feet. He could feel the blood slip down his chin, dropping to the ground as his muscles ached.

"Prisoner 117-9875 has won again!" A voice called out as the crowd cheered loudly. Keith fell to one knee as the pain doubled and his vision blurred. A large hand grabbed his arm, wrenching it up into the air, but Keith was too far gone. Everything went dark as he passed out.

.....

Keith heard the noise first. It filtered into his ears, the whispered things people were saying. What was wrong with him. Why was he still bleeding. Why did he pass out. Why had he gone into a strange trance. Keith didn't feel like hearing it as he forced his eyes open. Accomplishing that was a hard task, as his vision swam into view. The Garrison nurse was leaning over him, dark eyes staring at something as something pressed into Keith's nose. Liquid poured through it as the wet stuff slid down his cheek.

Keith blinked as he braced himself. Feeling the side of the wall, he pushed himself up. All of his body was sore like he had been forced to over exercise without warming up. His legs burned in ways they hadn't since he first joined the Garrison. His arms were no better, shaky in their hurt. His head felt fine except for the cut along his nose which hurt more than he thought it would, but not as much as when he'd been hit. Getting his feet under him, he stood. Nearly toppling over, he reached his hand to the wall to steady himself when the screen lit up. Letting out a pained sigh, he looked at the screen as the nurse protested. More blood slipped onto the sims floor, which was already decorated with scarlet droplets. In fact, a large amount of them were smeared across the controls and his fingers. But he didn't pay any mind to that as the screen lit up with the news. The sims screen shouldn't have, but it did.

Shiro appeared. His face smiling at Keith from the screen as the two with him were to his left, Keith's right. Keith could only stare as the report went on. Memories flickered through his mind as his breathing sped up. He didn't notice the blood stopping as if it never had started. He didn't notice that his body didn't ache anymore. All he could hear were the reporter's words.

"This just in," her voice stated as if it were an everyday event and not the longest journey made by any person, "The crew of the Kerberos mission have been reported dead. All three perished in action due to Captain Takashi Shirogane's piloting."

The words "PILOT ERROR" flashed across the screen in bright red. The color Keith had always loved was now a sign of bad. He grew numb as his heart stopped. It couldn't be...they were...they were blaming this on the best student they had ever had. They were blaming it on the best pilot they've ever had. They were blaming the only person who had ever cared about him. The only one who never abandoned him. The one who mattered the most to him.

His blood boiled. His stomach flipped. His body grew cold. His mind went blank. His emotions snarled at him as his feelings grew stressed and confused. Everything built up like a volcano about to erupt until he didn't bother holding back.

Letting out a cry of anger and hate, he slammed his fist into the screen right where the picture of the ship flying out of the atmosphere was. The screen flickered and sizzled as glass clung to his fist. Ignoring the gasps and yells of the cadets and officers in the room, he raced away. Running to Iverson's office, he nearly slammed into the man in the hallway.

"What have you done, cadet?" He demanded as he stared at Keith's injured hand and new cut, "What is your prob-"

"You lied!" Keith shouted as the tears nearly came to his eyes, "Shiro didn't get his crew killed and you know it!"

"Cadet Kogane," the man frowned, "I suggest you drop this matter and get yourself treated by the nurse. Or else..."

"Or else what?" Keith demanded as his anger and sadness and fear and hate and pain mixed together as one to overwhelm him, "You'll give me detention for subordination? He's out there, and you're not even going to try getting him back."

"I will if I need to. Get your act together or you'll be just like Shirogane. I advise you not to follow in his steps," a crowd gathered around them, silently waiting for Keith to break as he shook. Echoes of Shiro's cries rammed into his ears. The memories of every cut and wound and bruise slammed into his mind. Shiro was suffering and no one fucking cared. Before he was aware, his fist, the one filled with glass, slammed into Iverson's left eye so hard that the taller man flew into the wall a few feet back. Keith huffed and growled as he glared at the man who clenched his now bleeding eye.

"Fuck you!" He screamed with all of his anger flaring, threatening to steal his voice as he hissed, "I know he's alive. I've seen where he's been, and I know there was no "pilot error." They never crashed. They were attacked and you're hiding it! I'm going to find him! He's never given up on me, and I can't give up on him!"

"Kogane," the man glared as best as he could with one eye swelling and dripping blood onto his grey jacket - the same type that Shiro used to wear - and the floor, "You're expelled. Get your things and leave."

"No," Keith flexed his hand as he glared down at Iverson, "I quit. Nobody cares about Shiro. And I'm going to save him."

With that, Keith walked away.

.....

When he was young, Keith would have dreams and visions from his soulmate. When he was sad, he'd look through the other's eyes to see a life that was happy. His soulmate was just a few years older than him, but just as lonely in some ways. His grandpa was the one raising him, and Keith could remember watching birthdays from his soulmate's vision. It was a nice thing that lessened and strengthened the pain Keith felt.

No one cared that much for him. His mom was long gone, having left him when he was too young to even remember her. His dad died not long after in a fire, leaving Keith to the foster system. No one knew him, much less cared. And Keith was just as bad. He never could understand certain things like jokes or people. He didn't have friends. At this point, he only had been able to connect with one person.

Takashi Shirogane.

But he was gone, trapped with evil aliens who were slowly killing him.

_It's killing me when you're away. _

Keith remembered a time where he'd been in a foster home that wasn't good. Usually, the parents or kids left him alone like he had a disease or he was an alien or something, but sometimes there were worse things. Keith remembered getting yelled at by his foster parent. He remembered the first fist that hit him, but after that, he couldn't feel anything. Nothing but the warmth of his soulmate, telling him he was going to be okay. Of warm arms shielding him protectively, pressing him into secure embrace. That he was there for Keith. He'd always be there for him.

Somehow, Shiro had taken the pain and memory away. Had shifted it so Keith almost felt nothing, like he was in another dream. Like he was safe.

Agony ripped through Keith as he bolted upright. Shiro...Something was happening to him. Taking a deep breath in, Keith opened his eyes to a purple lit room. Those yellow eyes stared down at him as a saw rested right above his right arm. The skin was already inflamed from infection from a wound in the Arena. Keith felt dread pool in his stomach.

Knowing exactly what he had to do, he opened his eyes to see his desert shack. His own infected right hand greeted him as he glanced to the side. Taking a slow and deep breath, Keith pulled on their bond. Bit by bit, he transferred everything from his side to Shiro's. Using his instincts, he wrapped his presence around the other man. Knowing that his best friend was safe, Keith took the brunt of the saw chewing off Shiro's arm.

The pain was excruciating. Keith thought he heard himself scream, but he wasn't sure. His right arm felt like it was on fire, muscle and sinew being torn to pieces. He screamed again as fire burned him up from all directions. It felt like lava was burning through his veins, turning his body and mind to ash. Keith could feel everything slip away slowly as the bond started to slip. Keith gritted his teeth as he held on tighter even though he felt weaker by the second. Pain made his arm twitch on it's own account, a line of rigged scaring lighting bright against his pale skin. Soulmates rarely lost limps or anything if their own did.

Something soothing washed over Keith, taking the pain away. Momentarily afraid that he'd lost his connection to Shiro, he braced himself to move but collapsed as soon as his arm touched the floor as a muted cry left his lips. He soon passed out as the same force surrounded him, bathing him in what felt like cool and refreshing water.

.....

When he awoke, everything was numb. For a second, he thought it was one long dream. That Shiro would be there, still at the Garrison with Keith as they both went sparring. But memories crashed into his brain. The saw, blood, pain, Shiro...

"Shiro!" Keith bolted upright as he blinked, still on the floor of the shack, "Shiro?"

Closing his eyes, Keith took a few deep breaths in before he opened them. In front of him was a cell, dark metal lit with purple lights that made him feel ill. Ready to get up to look around, Keith noticed his right hand felt weird. Or rather, he couldn't feel anything from it.

"What the-" Shiro's voice spoke as he gazed down at a mechanical right arm starting just above his elbow, "Shiro?!?"

_Keith_ the voice was quiet and wounded, but most definitely Shiro, _Keith. What's...what happened?_

"I'm okay," Keith whispered from Shiro's lips as he slid against the wall to sit, "We're okay."

_I know something happened._ Shiro spoke as a grunt echoed in his head _I...it's all a blank._

"I took over for a moment," Keith rubbed his hand through bangs that were now white, "I gave you more of the bond so you wouldn't-"

_KEITH!_ The voice was very loud in his head as he winced, gripping Shiro's arm where the metal met flesh, _YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE DONE THAT! I COULD HAVE TAKEN IT AND-_

"I couldn't let them hurt you," Keith frowned as he tapped the metal under his hand with the Galra arm, "You've protected me so many times that it's my turn to save you."

_Keith_ Shiro paused as he let out a sigh, _You could have died._

"I...I..." Keith's mouth went dry as he too took a deep breath in, "I'm sorry. I wasn't aiming to...I didn't want to...Just wanted to keep you safe."

_I know you do,_ There was a smile in the tone, _Just promise me you won't do anything like that again. I can't lose you too._

Keith nodded, no need to say anything when Shiro could feel what Keith was doing with his body, "How long was I out?" 

_A few days?_ Shiro responded with what would have been shrugged shoulders _Time is hard to work here since there's no sun, but I haven't been out to the Arena. I've gotten five meals so far so maybe two or three days? Possibly four?_

They had timed it out. Each meal came at roughly 12 earth hours and twice a day. Shiro had been sent to the Arena once every four days. He would be sent soon again.

_Something saved you._

"I don't know what it was, but," Keith paused as a sentry marched by before continuing, "I can feel energy in the desert. It's...calling me."

_Whatever it is..._Shiro paused before going on, _I'm glad it saved you._

"Us," Keith reassured as he felt the strain of the bond tug on his soul, "It saved us."

_Get some food, buddy_ Shiro chuckled softly, but Keith knew he was sending him a concerned look, _You need to get your strength back up. You are the one who took the pain, just...just get some sleep and eat._

"I'll try," Keith smiled before he closed his eyes and let out a breath, "I'll talk to you soon."

Fading away, Keith didn't even get food. He passed out at soon as he dragged himself, not using his right arm at all, to the sofa.

.....

Roughly a month later, Keith was snapped awake as he felt Shiro's panicking. Already letting himself go, Keith opened his eyes to see another operating table. Although he couldn't feel it, he knew that cuffs were holding Shiro down as the man thrashed.

"You already took my arm!" He exclaimed angrily as a Galra waved to the one inserting whatever the vindictive race would to hurt Shiro more, "What more do you want!?!"

"Stop," the doctor stated as Keith felt his own fear grow as Shiro's did at the same time. Keith couldn't survive another round like last month's. His arm still gave him constant problems even after a whole month of working with it, "I want him to feel this."

Keith's fright spiked. That's how Shiro's arm...that's how they took his arm. That's how Shiro lost...that's how the pain. That's how-

_Keith!_ Shiro's voice rang out as Keith breathed like he couldn't get enough air, _Keith! It's okay. I'm okay. He let me go. I'm coming home. I'll be there in-_

Keith was slammed back into his own body, unable to breathe correctly for a bit. When he could, the words finally registered. 

Shiro was coming back. He was coming home.

Keith raced out to his bike, packing a few packs of homemade explosives and pulling his maroon bandana up to keep the dust out of his mouth. It was almost night, the sunset before night. Keith had been out for awhile.

He smiled for the first time in nearly a full year. Shiro was coming back.

.....

After a blue lion launched them into space, they found some aliens, fought the Galra, and got some food, they called it a night. Allura took them to their rooms. Being the leader, Shiro's room was first. Keith peeked inside and nearly cringed at the fact that the bed was only big enough for one person.

_Keith_ Keith turned to look Shiro in the eyes as the man's voice drifted in his head, _We can ask for a bigger room. There has to be some around here._

_I don't want to make a big deal over this._ Keith thought back even as the feeling of wanting to be touched and that sense of "having his soulmate near but not near" took over, _I can't ask that._

_Alright,_ Shiro sighed but his tone was pleased, _You can join me tonight. We can make this our room._

_Yes, sir_ Keith teased as he let a smile slip onto his face before he turned to the Altean who already showed Pidge, Hunk, and Lance to their rooms next door. Keith rushed over to the princess as he opened a door a few down from Shiro's. 

"Thanks," he muttered as he walked into the plain room. For being 10,000 years without being used, it was surprisingly clean and dust free. If he weren't feeling a slight buzz under his skin from needing to be close to his soulmate, Keith would have inspected his room. But he quickly pulled his jacket off and settled into the bed, waiting so everyone could go to sleep. After probably twenty minutes, the energy within him sizzled like fire. He needed his soulmate. A small tingle ran down his spine, making him smile slightly. 

Shiro was calling to him. 

Keith got up. Walking to the door, he peeked out both ways before going to Shiro's door. He placed his hand to the scanner and grinned happily when it let him in. Shiro had either already put in his DNA for the scanner or it accepted it because his was bonded to Shiro's own DNA. Either way, Keith let the door slide shut once inside. 

The other was sitting on the bed, waiting for him to show up. Keith grinned happily before plopping into the bed right in front of the older, energy not subsiding yet. Pausing, Keith braced his hand over the other's covered shoulder, both sighing with deep contentment. Distance always made them feel bad, and touch was like a drop of water in the driest desert. Bare skin-to-skin contact helped most, but Keith would take anything right now if it meant being with Shiro, alive and in the present.

"Stay the night?" Shiro asked softly with those adorable eyes Keith could never resist. The younger man huffed before playfully grinning, tucking his hands to the other’s chest. 

"Duh," smothering a laugh, he rested his head on the other's chest, listening to his soulmate's heartbeat, "Of course I'll stay the night. And every night after this too...if...if you want that?"

"Always," Shiro reassured before pressing his chin to Keith's head, a slight warmth flowing through him. Keith grinned before starting to fall asleep, barely registering his best friend moving the blanket up to his chin.

**Author's Note:**

> What more should I include in here besides a few of my plans of things affected by their bond? More soft moments? Team interaction?


End file.
